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The opinions expressed in the comment section are the personal views of the commenters. Comments are moderated, so please keep it civil.

Visitor Comments: 17

(8)
Reuven B. Frank,
April 28, 2013 3:25 PM

Religious Freedom,...Subjectively

I am pretty subjective about this issue because I have been wearing a Kipa now for more 35 years. I have lived and in Israel for MOST of that time, but remember some problems when I wore my Kipa there in the 70’s, and none when I worked there in the first decade of the 21st century.So, I would DEFINITELY side with the perspective employee, and probably take the restaurant’s info. (name, address, manager’s name, is it a branch of a national chain?)I would probably pursue and follow-up on this, because of my perspective. But, like I wrote, I am FAR from objective about this issue.

(7)
Patty Arche,
April 25, 2013 1:24 AM

Is 2013

Is discrimination no matter what he is wearing,the religion does not make is bad employees this is America 2013 no America 1950 and yes is illegal I can't believe some people approve the manager opinion and decision

(6)
dale,
April 20, 2013 2:55 PM

my rules

The restaurant is run by an owner, not by God. If I don't want a Jew, a Baptist, a negro, a muslim or a blond working for me, I shouldn't be forced to hire them by some government. I should be able to make the rules I want. It is my business. If you don't like it, don't patronize my business. God as the ultimate authority will eventually deal with me.

Rivka,
April 21, 2013 11:39 PM

OK to discriminate in hiring?

I'm sure Hitler would have approved of your statements. Not to mention people in the South in the 1950's who would not let blacks even use the bathroom, and killed them just for being black.

Herman,
April 25, 2013 5:53 AM

Nonsence!

You dont no a thing you are talking about, have you lived in South Africa? For how long? Speak of what you know

Gerald,
August 26, 2013 10:52 AM

Read the comments correctly

Herman, Rivka did not mention South Africa, he/she said the South, meaning I am sure the Southern former slave states of USA. So perhaps he/she knows more about it than you do. And please attend a spelling class, you're lack of spelling skill points to a juvenile level of knowledge in that subject. So you also need to learn something. Shalom

Anonymous,
April 25, 2013 12:54 AM

rebuttal

Actually you cannot refuse to hire a person based on religion, nationality or ethics background.

(5)
Mikhael,
April 17, 2013 6:08 AM

I think the manager is right. Why would someone wear a kippa at a non-kosher restaurant?

It can also mislead Jewish customers who will assume the food is kosher. And in the case of a restaurant, they do have a right to enforce certain standards of appearance, regardless of religion What if they tell a Rastafarian waiter to get rid of his dreadlocks? I think they have that right too. What if it's a kosher restaurant and the waiter is Jewish, they might want him to wear a kippa in that case so religious diners may feel more comfortable.

(4)
Anonymous,
April 15, 2013 11:50 PM

Twin Towers 97th floor

I worked for an observant Jew named Shimi at the world trade center. i can honestly say that in all my years as an employee, I never worked for a nicer guy. This man was sweet kind (good looking) and remarkably intelligent. What impressed me the most is that he always wore his yamaka and sometimes even adjusted it right in the middle of a meeting. More observant Jews should wear it proudly. When someone asks just say what it symbolizes and use it as an opener to glorify the Almighty period.

Participant in this study,
April 16, 2013 2:26 PM

what if the person insisted on wearing a necklace with a cross on it?

the 'actor' mgr.'s response is anti-semitism. A girl who visibly wears a cross should be asked to take that off as well under this policy, but would that happen? i have seen non-jewish women wearing the star of david @ the grocery store and complimented them. It is beautiful. Why any different with the yamaka?

Anonymous,
April 16, 2013 11:31 PM

Response to "Participant in the study" comment.

Keeping one's head covered verses fashion is not the same thing. This (covering one's head) is something that is commanded in Judaism, not merely a fashion preference. An employer could no more expect/deny employment to a Christian if they refused (due to their religion) to pray to the devil, or what ever would be abhorrent in the eyes of their view of G... Jewelry, whether a Jewish star, or a cross, or what ever is not commanded in the Bible. And, in some industries (when working with certain machinery) is dangerous. For example, my husband was told not to wear a tie to work because of the machines he was occasionally working with. That was reasonable. To require one to do the opposite of their religious beliefs, for employment, is not, and is against the law in America.

(3)
ken,
April 15, 2013 7:22 PM

i stand with ISRAEL and their customs

i would try to see if the person would appreciate me stepping in ,where i was not invited and take a stand with this issue,if it were muslim,i would keep quiet.

Ra'anan,
April 16, 2013 7:07 PM

I would stick up for a Muslim or Hindu as well...

because their religion is irrelevant. I've worked w/Muslims in Jerusalem & it makes no difference in anyway that they are Muslims.

(2)
Marlene Langert,
April 15, 2013 5:48 PM

Spread the word

I would definitely speak up and I would tell the manager that I will spread the word among all my Jewish and non-jewish friends that he discriminated against this guy for wearing a yarmulke. He would lose many patrons of the diner. (Let's face it, we Jews like to eat in diners!) I would tellhim and do it, that I will put it on my Facebook page. THen, I would walk out and never return. I would follow up by doing just what I said!

Antonio,
April 16, 2013 4:15 PM

Spread the word

But what if the person was a Muslim or a Sikh?

Anonymous,
April 16, 2013 7:10 PM

Muslim or Sikh...

I'd stick up for them as well. I remember being "hunted" as a Jew by a group of high school Christians. This isn't as threatening, but it reminds me of that pain & fear & since I know of it first hand, there's no WAY I'd stand by & let it happen to someone else!

(1)
Jordan,
April 15, 2013 2:23 AM

We all need someone to step up to the plate for us

As someone who has become more observent over the years and is debating wearing a kippa to work I can say my heart goes out to this man. Unfortunately discrimination is usually more subtle. When we are in times of trouble we all want others looking out for us. When we show compassion for other human beings in situations like this and stand for principles over institutional rules and profits, I do believe that Hashem performs compassion for us when we need it the most. In this scenario, what would be the worst that could happen by speaking up? I think that we need to put our comfort levels aside in situations like these and speak up. It's better in my opinion to live a principled, challenging life than a comfortable but uneventful one.

I've been striving to get more into spirituality. But it seems that every time I make some progress, I find myself slipping right back to where I started. I'm getting discouraged and feel like a failure. Can you help?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Spiritual slumps are a natural part of spiritual growth. There is a cycle that people go through when at times they feel closer to God and at times more distant. In the words of the Kabbalists, it is "two steps forward and one step back." So although you feel you are slipping, know that this is a natural process. The main thing is to look at your overall progress (over months or years) and be able to see how far you've come!

This is actually God's ingenious way of motivating us further. The sages compare this to teaching a baby how to walk. When the parent is holding on, the baby shrieks with delight and is under the illusion that he knows how to walk. Yet suddenly, when the parent lets go, the child panics, wobbles and may even fall.

At such times when we feel spiritually "down," that is often because God is letting go, giving us the great gift of independence. In some ways, these are the times when we can actually grow the most. For if we can move ourselves just a little bit forward, we truly acquire a level of sanctity that is ours forever.

Here is a practical tool to help pull you out of the doldrums. The Sefer HaChinuch speaks about a great principle in spiritual growth: "The external awakens the internal." This means that although we may not experience immediate feelings of closeness to God, eventually, by continuing to conduct ourselves in such a manner, this physical behavior will have an impact on our spiritual selves and will help us succeed. (A similar idea is discussed by psychologists who say: "Smile and you will feel happy.")

That is the power of Torah commandments. Even if we may not feel like giving charity or praying at this particular moment, by having a "mitzvah" obligation to do so, we are in a framework to become inspired. At that point we can infuse that act of charity or prayer with all the meaning and lift it can provide. But if we'd wait until being inspired, we might be waiting a very long time.

May the Almighty bless you with the clarity to see your progress, and may you do so with joy.

In 1940, a boatload 1,600 Jewish immigrants fleeing Hitler's ovens was denied entry into the port of Haifa; the British deported them to the island of Mauritius. At the time, the British had acceded to Arab demands and restricted Jewish immigration into Palestine. The urgent plight of European Jewry generated an "illegal" immigration movement, but the British were vigilant in denying entry. Some ships, such as the Struma, sunk and their hundreds of passengers killed.

If you seize too much, you are left with nothing. If you take less, you may retain it (Rosh Hashanah 4b).

Sometimes our appetites are insatiable; more accurately, we act as though they were insatiable. The Midrash states that a person may never be satisfied. "If he has one hundred, he wants two hundred. If he gets two hundred, he wants four hundred" (Koheles Rabbah 1:34). How often have we seen people whose insatiable desire for material wealth resulted in their losing everything, much like the gambler whose constant urge to win results in total loss.

People's bodies are finite, and their actual needs are limited. The endless pursuit for more wealth than they can use is nothing more than an elusive belief that they can live forever (Psalms 49:10).

The one part of us which is indeed infinite is our neshamah (soul), which, being of Divine origin, can crave and achieve infinity and eternity, and such craving is characteristic of spiritual growth.

How strange that we tend to give the body much more than it can possibly handle, and the neshamah so much less than it needs!